F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

We have included this FAQ page so that you can easily get quick answers to commonly asked questions on a wide range of topics.
Using Our Facilities
Student FAQs

 Faith Focused Learning

What makes our Catholic schools unique?
We are unique because we provide learning experiences to students that emphasize our Catholic beliefs and values. You can feel and witness our Catholic identity when you walk into one of our schools or speak to our staff and students. Our distinctiveness is reflected in tangible ways through liturgies, religious images and social justice activities. It is also reflected in less obvious ways, through how our faith is lived in all interactions within our schools.
Choosing A Catholic School

Career Related Inquiries

How do I contact Human Resources?
To contact Human Resources you can:
Phone us at: (705) 722-3555 
Write us at: 46 Alliance Blvd
Barrie, ON L4M 5K3
E-mail general inquiries to us at: hr@smcdsb.on.ca
Human Resources
How do I apply for a position with your Board?
To apply for any position with our Board, please check our Careers section.
Careers
Is Human Resources open during the summer and holidays?
The office hours of the Board are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. During the summer months Human Resources, along with many Board Office Departments, work a compressed four-day workweek beginning in July and ending the week prior to the commencement of school in August.
Human Resources

Day Care Programs
 
What is the Best Start Child Care Program?
Our Board is pleased to work with the provincial government and other community partners on the Best Start Child Care Program. Best Start involves the expansion of quality and affordable child care and investments in children's healthy early development. The aim is to strengthen early development, learning and child care services so that children arrive in Grade One ready to learn and excel.
Best Start Child Care Program
What schools have day care programs associated them?
For a full list of our schools that have day care programs associated with them please see the below link
Best Start Child Care Program
Measuring Student Achievement
 
How is my child’s achievement evaluated on the report card?

Teachers report student achievement based on expectations outlined in the Ministry of Education's Ontario Curriculum as well as the student's learning skills. There is a clear distinction between curricular achievement (what they have learned) and demonstration of learning skills (how they have learned). These two distinct areas are reported separately on your child’s report card.
Measuring Student Achievement
Why are the learning skills reported separately on the report card?
Learning skills play an important role in fostering student success and by separating skill development from curricular achievement on the report card we are better able to focus on its importance. This distinction gives teachers an opportunity to better communicate your child’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Measuring Student Achievement
What is an achievement chart?
The Ministry of Education has developed charts to describe what achievement should look in every subject area. These charts base achievement on four categories of knowledge and skills:
  • Knowledge and Understanding
  • Thinking
  • Communication
  • Application
The charts outline what achievement or performance should look like for each of the four levels (1 – 4) in each of the knowledge and skill categories for every subject/course that your child takes. The achievement charts provide teachers with a standard guide to plan, assess and evaluate student work.  
Achievement Charts
I hear teachers talking about diagnostic, formative and summative assessment.  What is the difference between these kinds of assessments?
Assessment is the ongoing process of collecting and reviewing how and what your child is learning. Diagnostic assessment occurs at the beginning of the teaching process – it is used to determine what students already know and can do. Formative assessment occurs on an on-going basis during the teaching process – it is used to determine how well the student is progressing. Summative assessment occurs toward the end of the teaching process after a student has had time to learn and practice skills – it is used to determine achievement of key expectations.
Measuring Student Achievement

Special Education

What should I do if my child seems to be late at learning certain skills?

If your child seems to have a slower pattern of development in one or more areas, do not panic! Slower development may just be a family pattern. There really are late bloomers. This may be something to talk over with your family doctor, who will take a closer look at your child and tell you if there is cause for concern and also what you might do about it.
What is an Individual Education Plan (IEP)?
An IEP is a written document detailing the special education program and/or services that may be required by your child. In addition to capturing the essential student information, such as name, gender, date of birth, etc., the IEP also includes other details that enable school staff to develop a comprehensive profile for your child. An IEP builds on your child’s strengths, interests and learning needs and will be supported by relevant assessment information.
 Individual Education Plan
How is an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) meeting requested?
An IPRC meeting may be requested by you or by the principal of your child’s school. The principal will arrange the meeting upon receiving your request in writing. The IPRC process is a formal one set out by the Ministry of Education that school boards are obliged to follow. As a parent, please be aware that there are some defined time lines associated with this process.
 Identification Placement and Review Committee
What happens at an IPRC meeting?
The principal introduces everyone and explains the purpose of the meeting. The objective of the meeting is to determine whether or not your child is exceptional under the Ministry of Education definitions, and what placement within the school will best suit your child’s learning needs.
 Identification Placement and Review Committee

Student FAQ's

How many credits do I need to graduate with an OSSD?
All secondary school programs in the province of Ontario are based on a credit system. You must earn a total of 30 credits in order to graduate from high school. One credit is equal to a 110 hour course that you must successfully complete. For more information on the combination of credits needed, please click on the link below.
Make Plans to Graduate
What can I expect when I enter Grade 9?
All Grade 9 courses build on the Grade 8 curriculum, but they will require you to "step up" so that you can be prepared for your studies in the senior grades. The high school program will provide you with new opportunities for cooperative education, work experience, and apprenticeship training. There will also be an opportunity for community involvement to help you explore and expand your interests, and to prepare you to be a responsible Catholic citizen.
Transition to High School
If I am interested in a certain field is there courses I should be taking?
We are here to help you make wise and informed choices and to encourage you to research and gather as much information as possible to help you plan for your post-secondary career. Throughout high school you will be required to take both compulsory and elective courses. Choosing your elective courses is an exciting, but sometimes overwhelming experience. You want to choose courses that interest you and help you prepare for your life after high school.

The following link may be quite helpful in helping you choose elective courses that match your interests, abilities and are related to your future plans. We encourage you to examine your areas of interest, match that with your abilities, and then take a look at the variety of associated career options. Once you have found some areas that interest you, take a look at the high school courses that are related.
Choosing the Right Courses
Do you offer co-curricular activities?
There is a wide range of co-curricular activities available at our schools. Whether it is athletics, student governance, volunteer programs, arts and culture, social justice, science and technology, etc., there is something available for you to explore and to develop your skills, talents and interests.
Talk to someone or visit your school's web site to find out more about the co-curricular activities offered at your school.
There is more to School

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Enrolling Your Child

What do you need to register your child?
You will require the following documents for your child for registration:
  • Proof of age (birth certificate)
  • Parent or child's Roman Catholic baptismal certificate (discuss criteria for exemption with your school superintendent)
  • Updated immunization records
  • Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
  • Proof of address
  • Tax assessment form showing separate school support
  • Educational records, if available
Enrolling Your Child
How do I know what school my child will go to?
Please take a look at the Our Schools link to see the schools located in your area and refer to the boundary map to determine which Catholic school your child should be attending.
Enrolling Your Child
Transportation
 
What is the criteria for bus cancelations?
We are all concerned about the safe transportation of students to school, especially during inclement weather. School bus operators are responsible for determining if buses will be canceled. Early in the morning (prior to 5:30 a.m.), the bus operators assess the weather and road conditions to determine if the buses will start and run safely on our roads. For a full list of the criteria please see the below link.
Criteria for Bus Cancelation
How will I know if buses are canceled?
On inclement weather days, please check the Home Page of this web site to get the latest updates. Local radio stations and other media broadcasts will also report late buses and cancelations. It is important to avoid calling the school, the Transportation Consortium or the media outlets as their lines get tied up. This web site and media outlets will provide regular updates.
School Bus Service During Inclement Weather
What is the Transportation Consortium?
In August 2001, the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board and the Simcoe County District School Board came together to provide transportation services to students in a co-ordinated way. Transportation staff from both boards work together out a common location to jointly facilitate the delivery of transportation services to students. The staff look at the transportation needs in all of Simcoe County based on the Boards' policies and procedures.
Transportation Consortium

Provincial Testing

What is Provincial Testing?
All students in Grade 3 and Grade 6 across Ontario are required to complete assessments in reading, writing and mathematics. They are based on what your child is expected to learn in the Ontario Curriculum.
Provincial Testing
What is being tested?
The tests, based on the Ontario Curriculum, are designed to test what your child has been learning to the end of Grade 3 or Grade 6. The tests focus on reading, writing and math, and are designed to measure students progress, at both of these two key stages in their school career.
Provincial Testing
What is the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)?
The EQAO is an independent agency that gathers information about student achievement through yearly province-wide assessments of students. The information from the assessments is reported publicly by EQAO and by our Board for our schools.
Provincial Testing

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Using Our Facilities

Who can use the facilities?
We have developed some guidelines to help determine how and when our facilities are used (see policy and procedure documents below). Of particular note, our values as a Catholic organization are central to who we are and as such we do not permit organizations with conflicting values to use our facilities.
Using Our Facilities
Is there a fee to use the facilities?
Nominal fees will be charged so that we are able to effectively cover our operating costs. Please take a look at the below link which will help you get more information about our procedures, fee structure and how to apply to use a facility.
Using Our Facilities
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Safe Schools

Do you have any Safe schools initiatives?
We recognize that being proactive is an important part of providing safe schools for our students and staff. We have worked on a variety of initiatives that focus on early intervention and prevention, as well as on peace education. Examples of these initiatives include Peaceful Schools International, anti-bullying programs and Roots of Empathy.
Promoting Safe Schools
What is your code of conduct?
Our code of conduct is a reflection of the standards of behaviour that we expect not only from our students, but also all individuals involved in the school system (parents, volunteers, teachers, and other staff members). We expect these standards of behaviour to apply on school property, on school buses and at school-authorized events or activities.
 Promoting Safe Schools

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